Enhanced Assisted Living: An Architectural Strategy to Reduce the Negative Effects for Society Caused by Aging Population
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Abstract
Due to the emergence of large numbers of elderly people as the Baby Boomer generation ages and the life span extended, an aging population has become a serious issue for modern society with far-reaching economic and socio-political consequences. In developed countries, this phenomenon is even more severe. The excessive aging population will have a tremendous negative influence on these nations’ economies. These negative influences, such as an increasing public expenditure, may lead to declining labor forces, lower fertility, and an increase in age dependency and working-age to old-age ratios. If the basic mental and physical health and financial and social needs of aged people are not satisfied, the consequences of this neglect will be a dramatic increase of hardship for everyone, not just the elderly. The aging population is actually a conflict between social supply and social demand of aged people. In many nations, the government adapts to population aging by improving the living and medical environment for aged people. In the above social environment, how to use architectural design to reduce the negative effects caused by aging population become an important factor in this project. The study analyzed the current information of the aging population and researched a new community structure. The project introduced a design of an assisted living center, where older people can live in communities with adequate health care and humanistic looking after. This project will help improve quality of life for aged people and also reduce the financial pressure of society.